Twenty-five years after the enactment of the Bayh-Dole Act, scientists and administrators in academia who are interested in moving bench discoveries to the clinic are learning what travelers in London's subway system already know: It's important to "mind the gap." Some technology transfer offices are struggling to support patent prosecution costs, and they face difficult decisions for maintaining their intellectual property. Fewer licenses mean fewer transfers of discoveries across the development gap to commercial chaperones. University entrepreneurs who want to commercialize their own discoveries are finding startup funds and development partners scarce. The gap can seem insurmountable.
As funding models have changed, many groups are developing new models to support reengineering the translational R&D pipeline. Building a traditional "brick and mortar" incubator facility is unlikely to provide enough monetary support and expertise for most startup companies. Furthermore, not all discoveries merit building a company around them. That's where new accelerator ...
